Archive for February, 2012

Actress Barbara Bain and author James Rosin will join us on the next edition of TV CONFIDENTIAL, Friday at 7pm ET and PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org.

Though many of us think of her starring roles as Cinnamon Carter on Mission: Impossible (for which she won three Emmy Awards), and Dr. Helena Russell on Space: 1999, Barbara Bain has a very extensive theatre background that dates back to her early days as an actress, when she studied at the Actors Studio in New York under the great Lee Strasberg. We’ll ask Barbara about working with Strasberg; her experience as a dancer under the tutelage of Martha Graham; some of her early work in television, including appearances on Harbourmaster with Larry Hagman, and as Rob Petrie’s former girlfriend on The Dick Van Dyke Show; and, of course, a question or two about Mission: Impossible and Space: 1999 when she joins us in our first hour.

We’ll also climb aboard The Tiki this week as we welcome back actor, screenwriter and television historian James Rosin. Jim’s latest book, Adventures in Paradise: The Television Series, is a behind-the-scenes oral history of the popular ABC series from the early 1960s starring Gardner McKay. Besides high production values, strong writing, and an excellent roster of guest stars, Adventures in Paradise was also a show with a distinguished pedigree. It was not only based on a concept by bestselling novelist James Michener (Sayonara, Hawaii, Shogun), but boasted such talented producers as Martin Manoulis, William Self, Dominick Dunne and, briefly, Roy Huggins. We’ll talk about what made Adventures in Paradise such a unique network TV series — and what made Gardner McKay an unusual television star — when Jim Rosin joins us in our second hour.

Plus: Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen with a look at the highs, lows, and everything in between of last week’s Oscar telecast hosted by Billy Crystal. It’ll be a full program as always… we certainly hope you’ll join us.

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Tippi Hedron, the SuperSeven, and the Son of Boris Badenov headline the next “Dave White Presents”!

The Birds are Coming!

That was the tagline for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1962 thriller introducing his newest blonde bombshell, Tippi Hedron. She starred alongside Sean Connery in another Hitchcock classic, Marni, before working with Marlon Brando and Sophia Loren in Charlie Chaplin’s 1969 A Countess From Hong Kong—becoming the only actress to ever work for both these esteemed British directors.

On Tuesday February 28, Tippi Hedron comes to DWP and talks about a forthcoming BBC film about her legendary time with Hitchcock. It’s called “The Girl” and stars Sienna Miller as Hedron. What happened when these two actresses met to discuss the film and the script? How did Hitchcock and Chaplin compare as directors? What was Sean Connery like when he wasn’t playing 007? How does it feel to be Melanie Griffith’s Mom? We’ll answer all these questions and, of course, Tippi wants you to know about her current activism to pass a bill outlawing the domesticating of dangerous cats.

Who is SuperSeven?

Well, he’s the world’s greatest masked superspy, an agent for the mysterious T.H.E.M. “The Adventures Of SuperSeven” is “an action packed, tongue in cheek homage to the spy films, TV shows and masked hero adventures of the 1960’s and

1970’s.” Find out more about this new series when Olivia Dunkley, who plays Sandra West, the hero’s reluctant partner, goes behind-the-scenes with Dave White.(Hmm, a double entendre there?)

Who was the voice of Ludwig Von Drake, Boris Badenov, Morocco Mole, and the Little Green Sprout?

That was the legendary voice actor, Paul Frees. Along with his colleague Mel Blanc, Freez was the “Man of a Thousand Voices” for films, television, and even rides and the “Haunted Mansion” at Disneyland. Now, his son Fred Frees has moved into the family business and is also providing voices for commercials and even doing some of the characters his Father created. He’s also helping BearManor Media publish some interesting audio projects he’ll share on, where else?—the next “Dave White Presents”!

All this, and the “predictably unpredictable” comedy of DWP comes your way Tues. Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern, then 7:30 Pacific over–

Join us as we head on out to the Southfork Ranch, along with our guests Tanna Frederick and Michael Preece, on the next edition of TV CONFIDENTIAL, Friday at 7pm ET and PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org.

One of the most respected and accomplished directors in the television industry, Michael Preece has helmed multiple episodes of such top shows as Streets of San Francisco, Barnaby Jones, The Young Riders, Walker: Texas Ranger, Seventh Heaven and the long-running CBS drama Dallas. In fact, Michael not only directed more episodes of the original Dallas than any other director, but had a hand in virtually every major storyline, including “Who Shot J.R.,” Miss Ellie’s acceptance of Jock’s death, and “Blast from the Past,” the famous cliffhanger in which Pam wakes up to find Bobby in the shower, despite the fact that he had apparently died one year before.

We’ll talk about Dallas, of course, but we’ll also talk about some of the other films, TV series, and actors with whom Michael has worked throughout his career, including Karl Malden, Marlon Brando, Michael Douglas, John Wayne, Steve McQueen, Tim Conway, Chuck Norris, Barbara Bel Geddes and, of course, Larry Hagman. All this and more when Michael Preece joins us in our second hour.

Also joining us this week will be award-winning stage and independent film actress Tanna Frederick (Hollywood Dreams, Queen of the Lot, A.R. Gurney’s Sylvia). Tanna is about to make her directorial debut in the stage production of Claire Chafee’s Why We Have a Body, which begins an eight-week run at the Edgemar Center for the Arts in Santa Monica on Friday, March 2. Tanna once said she would never, ever direct… so we’ll ask her what changed her mind, and a whole lot more, when she joins us in our first hour.

Plus: Tony Figueroa and Donna Allen with This Week in TV History. It’ll be a full program as always, and we certainly hope you’ll join us.

Actress Sherry Jackson and author Paul Green will join us on the next edition of TV CONFIDENTIAL, Friday at 7pm ET and PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org.
One of the few child stars who successfully made the transition to grown-up actress, Sherry Jackson started her career at the age of five, appearing in such films as Trouble Along the Way, The Miracle of Our Lady at Fatima and the Ma and Pa Kettle comedies, before beginning a five-year run as Danny Williams’ daughter Terry on The Danny Thomas Show. She then went on to become one of the most highly sought-after leading ladies in film and television over the next three decades, including memorable appearances on such shows as The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, Batman, Lost in Space, Charlie’s Angels, Vega$, Love American Style and The Rockford Files.

After taking some time away from the camera, Sherry Jackson has returned to acting, much to the delight of her millions of fans all over the world. We’ll talk about Sherry’s career, of course, but we’ll also talk about Sherry’s stepfather, Montgomery Pittman. One of the great writers to emerge from the Golden Age of Television, Montgomery Pittman wrote and directed many of the best episodes of The Twilight Zone, Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip and other TV series. He also wrote the screenplay for Come Next Spring (1956), a charming slice-of-life movie starring Ann Sheridan, Steve Cochran and a young Sherry Jackson that many consider to be among the best films ever made. We’ll talk about this, and more, when Sherry Jackson joins us in our first hour.

Sherry Jackson will be appearing at the Seventh Annual MidAtlantic Nostalgia Convention, August 9-10-11 at the Marriott Hotel in Hunt Valley, Maryland. For more information, go to www.midatlanticnostalgiaconvention.com.
Also joining us this week will be film and TV historian and biographer Paul Green. Paul’s latest book, Jennifer Jones: The Life and Films, is a sympathetic portrait of the Academy Award-winning star of The Song of Bernadette, Duel in the Sun, Love is a Many Splendored Thing and other classic films from the Golden Age of Hollywood. The story of Jennifer Jones is that of a young girl from a small town who falls in love with a powerful man who then proceeds to control her. It’s a classic tale that we’ve seen played out countless times in movies and on television — only in the case of Jones, that story is very real. We’ll talk about Jennifer Jones, her marriages to David O. Selznick and Norton Simon, her brushes with tragedy, and a whole lot more when Paul Green joins us in our second hour.

THE X-Files and Ernie Kovacs on the Feb. 14 Edition of Dave White Presents!

For 9 seasons, from Sept. 10, 1993 to May 19, 2002, THE X-Files was a cultural phenomena. One reason was the cast of supporting players like William B. Davis who became a fan favorite playing “cigarette smoking man.” Of course, Davis enjoyed a long career before and after Scully and Muldar, beginning as a child star on Canadian radio. For DWP, he’ll share stories about his stage and film work in 3 countries and get behind the scenes of THE X-Files with some surprising new stories. And William will let you know what you’ll find in his lively new memoir, Where There’s Smoke…: Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man.

Before his premature death at age 42, TV pioneer Ernie Kovacs was known for his innovative, experimental breed of comedy. His visual gags and improvisation influenced folks like David Letterman, Craig Ferguson, George Carlin, and Rowan and Martin. He’s also remembered for his performances with his Tony-winning wife, Edie Adams.

In a fascinating conversation with Dave White, Josh Mills (son of Adams) shares some very funny anecdotes about Kovacs and his Mom. Did you know they appeared on the very last Lucy/Desi Comedy Hour where Edie sang “The Last Time”—even though no one knew this was the end for that legendary couple? Josh also tells what you can find in the ongoing series of DVD and CD releases coming from the vaults of the Kovacs/Adams Estate.

Into the blues? KSAV.org will shortly debut a new program of music called “Eight to the Bar.” Show host Les Tarr will stop by to let you know what he has planned and give a sample of what his program is all about.

All this, and the “predictably unpredictable” comedy of DWP, comes your way Tues. Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern, then 7:30 Pacific over–

www.KSAV.org

If you’d like to pre-record the show, Digital Audio Recording (DAR) makes that easy–

Actor/comedians Pat Harrington and Tom Dimenna will join us on the next edition of TV CONFIDENTIAL, Friday at 7pm ET and PT on Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org.

Best known for his Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning role as superintendent Dwayne Schneider on the long-running CBS-TV comedy series One Day at a Time, Pat Harrington’s roots in television, and roots in comedy, date back to 1959, when he began appearing on The Tonight Show with Jack Paar (and, later, The Steve Allen Show), as a number of characters, including Italian golf pro Guido Panzini. We’ll ask Pat about how he came to create Guido Panzini, as well as his experience working with Bill Dana, Don Knotts, Jonathan Winters, Norman Lear and other comedy and TV legends when he joins us in our second hour.

Joining us in our first hour will be actor/comedian Tom Dimenna. After channeling the legend of Telly Savalas in a series of popular short videos known as Telly Time, Tom has brought his act to the stage in Who Loves You, Baby, a full-length “posthumous lounge act” that takes a look at modern-day romance through the eyes of the iconic star of Kojak. Who Loves You, Baby is currently playing at the SoHoPlayhouse in New York City through April 15. We’ll ask Tom what first attracted him to this project, as well as learn how you can send your friends, colleagues or loved ones a special personalized “Telly Tip” for Valentines, birthdays or any special occasion.

Plus: Phil Gries with a new edition of The Sounds of Lost Television, featuring a look back at Feb. 11, 1960, the night on which Jack Paar walked off the set of The Tonight Show in protest of NBC’s decision to delete a joke about a water closet that he had told on the air the night before. Full program as always… we certainly help you’ll join us.